Rapid Storage Technology
Intel® RST, RAID
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Intel® Rapid Storage Technology F6 Driver Diskettes

idata
Employee
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I am looking to enable AHCI on my ICH9R southbridge. The option for AHCI is not in my bios. There is an option for RAID. According to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahci# cite_note-intel-0 wiki article,

Intel recommends choosing RAID mode on their http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motherboard motherboards (which also enables AHCI) rather than AHCI/SATA mode for maximum flexibility.

My motherboard isn't Intel, but my chipset is. I can't imagine why the manufacture of the motherboard would affect the capabilities of the onboard chipset. I'm pretty sure my chipset does not have AHCI drivers. I was wondering if setting my SATA controller to RAID in my bios and then installing the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology F6 Drivers during Vistax64 install would enable AHCI as my SATA controller.

If this does work, will I have to set up a RAID array? Because I am not wanting to do that.

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idata
Employee
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Enabling RAID in BIOS does not require that you configure a raid array. That is what Intel refers to as RAID ready, meaning you can configure a raid array at a later date if you so desire.

Which chipset do you have on your motherboard? This Intel tool can help if you do not know http://www.intel.com/support/siu_la.htm http://www.intel.com/support/siu_la.htm

The manufacturer of your board can create a BIOS version that either enables features of the chipset or not-completely up to them. It is possible, but highly unlikely, that your board does not support AHCI. You should be able to determine that by checking the board manufacturer support site.

Installing the "F6" drivers during a windows installation enables the OS to use the raid feature of the ICH9R and should be loading during install even if you do not wish to build an array.

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idata
Employee
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Immediately following the link you sent it states I have an http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=3301&DwnldID=19596&ProductFamily=Chipsets&ProductLine=Desktop+Chipsets&ProductProduct=Intel%c2%ae+6+Series+Chipset&lang=eng Intel® 6, 5, 4, 3, 900 Series Chipsets. I tried installing the Intel Chipset Identification Utility; however, two errors came up.

The first was an error from the program stating the utility needs to be ran as an administrator. There is only one account on my comp though. Even if I right click "run as administrator" the same error comes up.

The second is a windows window stating that this is an unsigned driver and that windows requires all drivers to have a valid digital signature. See the images for further details.

Maybe it is not necessary to know the exact model. If it is, I may need some assistance in figuring out why the utility won't install.

The board is a Dell motherboard, originally produced by Foxconn. I wouldn't be surprised if the Dell (developed by Award) Bios blocks the features. I'm not really wanting to flash to another hacked/non-dell bios unless is is absolutely necessary. I'm hoping there is someone way I can enable the AHCI features without major alterations. Would setting my bios to RAID then installing the Intel Rapid Storage Technology F6 Driver enable the AHCI features?

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idata
Employee
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You can try setting BIOS to RAID, most then run AHCI mode for drives not in array. However, Dell does alter features of intel chipsets and has thier boards made exclusively for Dell. Kind of locks you into support from them and any upgrades from them.

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idata
Employee
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Is there a way to verify if they are actually in AHCI mode?

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idata
Employee
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If you do not see it in bios then checking which drivers are currently loaded for the storage controller (in device manager) may be a good indicator. There are also registry entries that offer information. You may even notice it during the POST when various devices load. Your BIOS may also be set for fast boot which eliminates most of the displayed info during POST.

My experience with Intel BIOS running in RAID mode is AHCI is enabled.

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